Adventures in sewing – by men, for men.

The Chambray Comfy Shirt is Complete! (Part 2)

Truth be told, I finished the Chambray Shirt about two weeks ago. I just had a delay in preparing this post, since I have been away in Florida for a week at Walt Disney World and the Kennedy Space Center.

Above, you can see Jim wearing (not modeling) the Chambray Shirt as he waits in line for the “Maelstrom” ride in the Norway section of Epcot. I’m really pleased with the way the navy blue buttons really “pop” and add visual interest.

Lacking better pictures to work with, here’s a photo of the backside I took mid-week. The yoke seam puckered a bit when run through the laundry – I had pre-shrunk the fabric twice – so I’m not sure what happened there. But the yoke and box pleat did turn out nicely.

Better Next Time?

If there was one thing I would have done differently with this project, it would have to be the interfacing. I chose medium-weight fusible interfacing for the collar, cuffs, pocket flaps and placket. While I like the stiffness of the collar and cuffs, the pocket flaps came out very stiff from too much interfacing. Next time, I would use a light weight or no interfacing at all for the pocket flaps. The good news is that the fusible interfacing from Wawak I used in this project otherwise worked well.

Finally, I did make one mistake: the placement of the buttonholes on the pocket flaps wound up too low relative to the interfaced edge of the pocket. I interfaced the pocket edge provide support for the button. I ended up having to add two squares of interfacing to the already interfaced and finished pocket.

What’s Next?

With the completion of this project, and a week in Disney World behind me, I’m ready for something completely new. But I don’t know what it is. My original plan was to continue this project by making another chambray shirt for myself, and I will, but I’m not sure if I want to press on with shirt-making or take a break for another project.

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3 thoughts on “The Chambray Comfy Shirt is Complete! (Part 2)”

Thanks for sharing. I enjoy the location( can’t live in Florida, too many Brazilians) and the pictures.
What a professional looking work you did. I hope he is happy with the result. The pictures really show the nice touches and hard work you put into the project.
You are so right about interfacing. I made a few backpacks and the interfacing does make a difference. As far as feel, touch and look.
I am in the same place you are now, I am not sure what to sew next. This week it’s been all about getting my stash organized. Done that. I will look at videos and books this week for inspiration.
Keep me informed.

Great shirt! I like the color choice for the collar and pocket insides. I have not been brave enough to try that yet. I am making a jacket now with welt pockets. I interfaced the welt and the jacket. Lots of fun getting it all under the presser foot. But I think worth the effort.

Thanks! I want to try to be more daring with style choices for future projects. Welt pockets sound like fun; I’ve wanted to try one ever since seeing the construction details in David Coffin’s trousers book.